BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies registered in Barrow and Furness constituency are classified as (a) small and (b) medium-sized, as defined by the Companies Act 1985.

Michael Fallon: According to Companies House's records, there are an estimated 741 companies in the Barrow and Furness constituency. However, Companies House cannot determine the number of companies classified as (a) small and (b) medium-sized as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The definitions are based on turnover, balance sheet total and number of employees, and Companies House does not capture this information.

Construction: Industry

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Construction 2025, the Government's construction industrial strategy published in July 2013, 
	(1)  what progress has been made on updating CSkills/HSE-funded research into all recognised card schemes in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether a high-level statement of industry's commitment to having young people working on construction sites has been produced;
	(3)  what progress has been made on creating a critical mass for the Building Information Modelling programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  whether the first plan for a (a) market-based and (b) technology-based programme for investment in energy low-carbon construction has been produced;
	(5)  whether his Department has given consideration to developing a climate change adaptation plan; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what progress has been made on establishing a trade grouping of UK-based contractors;
	(7)  what progress has been made on creating an entity to support overseas trade in construction;
	(8)  what progress has been made on developing a co-ordinated approach to engaging young people; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  whether TrustMark has been relaunched;
	(10)  what progress has been made on identifying local champions to develop regionally-focused pipelines in construction;
	(11)  whether a high-level statement of industry's commitment to having young people working on construction sites has been produced;
	(12)  whether (a) his Department, (b) the Confederation of British Industry and (c) the construction industry has created a demand map for the industry for (i) infrastructure, (ii) Renovation Maintenance Improvement and (iii) new build to 2025.

Michael Fallon: Construction 2025, published in July 2013, is not a Government strategy. It is a collaboration between the construction industry and Government. It sets out four high level ambitions to be achieved by 2025. These ambitions will be underpinned by an action plan and the strategy document outlined a number of specific actions. Many of these actions, including a number contained in this set of questions, are owned and driven by a range of key bodies from across the full breadth of the construction industry.
	I am pleased with the industry's positive response and close ownership of the agenda and of specific actions.
	The review of the research into recognised card schemes is under way.
	The industry has drafted a high level statement of its commitment to having young people working on construction. This will be published shortly.
	There is a commitment to implement Level 2 BIM on all central Government projects by 2016 and this includes a programme for communicating best practice to local Government and private sector clients.
	A number of discussions are under way with the Green Construction Board and the retail sector and with the lighting industry about the development of market and technology plans for investment in energy efficient and low carbon construction.
	The Green Construction Board is considering DEFRA's National Adaptation Programme to consider whether the Board might be able to add additional value by developing its own climate change adaptation plan.
	The potential to develop a trade ‘grouping' of UK based contractors continues to be explored through UKTI's construction sector advisory group.
	On 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 4WS, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced that the Government were establishing the British Intergovernmental Services Authority (BISA).
	The industry is currently investigating existing best practice in terms of young people across the sector, to determine to what extent it can adopt a more coordinated approach to engagement.
	Trustmark will be making an announcement shortly.
	A number of regionally owned views of future work are starting to emerge (for example, from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce) and members of the Leadership Council Delivery Group are considering these with a view to their wider relevance.
	It was agreed to pause the work on demand mapping while industry bodies focussed their attention on the role of public procurement to inform further work by Cabinet Office and HMT—Infrastructure UK on procurement. The demand mapping work is now being picked up again.
	The industry is working closely together on a broad agenda, with an agreed set of priorities and good progress is being made.

Export Control (Libya) Order 2011

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the Export Control (Libya) Order 2011 (SI 2011/825).

Michael Fallon: Libya remains subject to UN and EU arms embargo and other sanctions. The Export Control (Libya) Order 2011 (SI 2011/825) creates criminal offences and sets out the maximum penalties for breaches of those elements of the EU sanctions against Libya contained in Council Regulation (EU) 204/2011 which fall within the Department's remit. We have no plans to repeal the Order while the Regulation remains in force.

Food and Drink Federation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings representatives of the Food and Drink Federation have attended with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 2010.

Jennifer Willott: Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations up to 30 June 2013 are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data
	Information for July to December 2013 will be published in due course.
	Information on any meetings between officials and representatives of the Food and Drink Federation is not held centrally.

Industrial Health and Safety: Research

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the Economic and Social Research Council budget was committed to research on health and safety matters in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: Research on Health and Safety has been supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through responsive mode funding-that is, funding for topics proposed by researchers.
	Figures provided are based on an equal annual division of funding in the case of multi-year grants, and represent 80% of the full economic costs of the grant. The other 20% funding is provided by the grant-holding Research Organisation. Relevant grants were identified through the ESRC's publicly available Research Catalogue.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 335,771 
			 2010-11 284,130 
			 2011-12 343,383 
			 2012-13 447,801 
			 2013-14 263,100

Industrial Health and Safety: Research

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding the Economic and Social Research Council plans to commit to research on (a) health and safety, (b) risk management and (c) occupational health in the next financial year.

David Willetts: Research on (a) health and safety, (b) risk management and (c) occupational health may be supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through responsive mode funding-that is, funding for topics proposed by researchers.
	ESRC participates in the cross-Council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative and, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC), will be supporting eight major interdisciplinary projects related to ‘extending working lives'. This will result in interdisciplinary research on health and wellbeing in relation to work, retirement and occupational health.
	ESRC funding for this initiative is £2.9 million, with an equivalent contribution from MRC, and a further £750,000 from large employers. The breakdown by financial year cannot be confirmed at this stage as awards are being finalised. Funding will be provided over a five-year grant duration.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the capabilities of local enterprise partnerships to deliver large infrastructure projects; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government are currently reviewing Strategic Economic Plans submitted by each Local Enterprise Partnership. Once finalised these plans will set out an overall strategy for growth in localities, and bring forward specific proposals for projects or programmes to deliver this. This may include proposals for large infrastructure projects, as well as other interventions.
	As set out in the Guidance published in July 2013, the strength of plans will ultimately be assessed against: ambition and rationale for intervention; value for money; delivery and risk. A strong, credible strategy will depend on the strength and depth of partnership working to develop and deliver it.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials at each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of those officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used in his Department to assess procurement officer's performance are.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has outsourced responsibility for procurement actions to UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UKSBS) as part of a wider shared services contract covering finance, HR, estate management along with procurement services. While budget approval to commit expenditure remains firmly within the Department's responsibility, the process and actions required to procure goods and services rests with UKSBS.
	This UKSBS procurement team have a wide range of procurement skills and expertise which includes Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply registered staff and works very closely with the Government Procurement Service. Key procurement indicators form part of the wider shared service contract and there is no requirement to assess individual departmental officials as the responsibility for procurement sits with UKSBS.

CABINET OFFICE

Bank Services

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  with what bank his Department's bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year;
	(2)  with what bank the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office's bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year;
	(3)  with what bank No. 10 Downing street's bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Ministers Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The Cabinet Office does not use an overdraft facility.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many and what value of contracts procured by his Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds;
	(2)  what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what proportion of his Department's contracts have been let to companies with (a) one to five, (b) six to 49, (c) 50 to 250 and (d) more than 250 staff;
	(4)  what weighting his Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance.

Francis Maude: Since the last general election, my Department has been working to improve procurement across Government. We have sought to strip out unnecessary bureaucracy, to streamline processes and to level the playing field so small and medium-sized enterprises can win a larger slice of business. We want the small companies, charities and voluntary organisations which in the past were shut out by excessive bureaucracy and poor procurement practices to win more business.
	When the coalition took office in May 2010 central Government were spending £3 billion (6.5% of their procurement budget) with SMEs. Since then there has been a steady increase in the proportion of spend going to SMEs—10.5% directly and 9.4% in the supply chain in 2012 to 2013—despite lower overall spend on procurement. Since April 2013 all Cabinet Office procurement over £10,000 is routed through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS—formally the Government Procurement Service, GPS).
	Cabinet Office instructs the service on the evaluation weightings for particular procurements. Procurement procedures do not provide standard evaluation weightings for the four areas requested.
	The information requested regarding contracts procured by the Department below EU thresholds is not readily available.
	The Cabinet Office captures information on the size of its suppliers in line with the EU definitions. The following table shows prime suppliers to which payments were made in 2012-13:
	
		
			 Size of supplier Number of employees Number of suppliers Percentage of all suppliers 
			 Micro 1 to 9 259 27 
			 Small 10 to 49 171 18 
			 Medium 50 to 249 110 12 
			 Large 250 and over 410 43 
		
	
	The proportion and value of Cabinet Office contracts that have been let under the restricted procedure and by the open procedure are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Calendar year: 2010 2011 2012 1 
			 Total contracts advertised in OJEU 2 8 23 
			 Total value (£) 11,000,000 970,000 95,905,235 
			 Number of contracts—Restricted 2 8 0 
			 Percentage of contracts advertised in OJEU 100 100 n/a 
			 Total value (£) 11,000,000 970,000 0 
			 Number of contracts—Open 0 0 19 
			 Percentage of contracts advertised in OJEU n/a n/a 83 
			 Total value (£) 0 0 95,751,203 
			 Source: Annual EU Procurement Statistics return. 
		
	
	The information requested for contracts let via framework agreements and a tendering process involving the use of a PQQ in each of the last three years is not readily available.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Betting Shops: Planning Permission

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applicants appealed against refusal of planning permission for a betting shop in the last year; and how many such appeals were unsuccessful.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 13 January 2014
	I note that the right hon. Member has recently commented in his local newspaper that:
	“Councils can do little to stop bookmakers opening new shops. If they refuse planning permission, the betting chains appeal. Government planning inspectors always find in their favour.” (Newham Recorder, 8 January 2014).
	Yet analysis of data held by the Planning Inspectorate does not support this assertion. The following table shows planning appeal decisions on betting shops in the last five years:
	
		
			 Calendar year Decided Dismissed Allowed 
			 2013 17 9 8 
			 2012 10 7 3 
			 2011 16 6 10 
			 2010 11 4 7 
			 2009 13 5 8 
		
	
	The numbers are small and there is no observable bias. Each planning application (and any appeal) should be considered on its individual merits, in light of the relevant material considerations and prevailing planning policy.
	Councils have powers to help shape such decisions. For example, the London borough of Barking and Dagenham has been consulting on supplementary planning guidance to address localised problems with the cumulative impact of betting shops.

Cleveland Fire Brigade

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 66 of Cleveland Fire Brigade's Community Integrated Risk Management Plan draft for consultation, what his Department's policy is on consideration of options to mutualise Cleveland Fire Brigade; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Government are supportive of fire and rescue authorities considering new and innovative ways of delivering their services more efficiently and effectively, including locally-led mutuals.
	However, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), and I have been very clear that we will make no moves to progress mutualisation that would lead to privatisation.
	I refer the hon. Member to my speech in the Adjournment Debate of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 470 onwards, which sets out my position on mutuals very clearly.

Council Tax Benefits

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what savings to the public purse have accrued from the changes to council tax benefit in each month since April 2013, from (a) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) England.

Brandon Lewis: Localising support for council tax has delivered a 10% saving on forecast council tax benefit expenditure from 2013-14. The saving equates to £414 million in England in 2013-14 excluding new burdens funding and the one year transition grant. These implementation costs were funded by making savings elsewhere, so the £414 million represents the saving to central Government.
	Local schemes are the responsibility of individual local authorities.

New Towns: South East

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which sites in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire are being considered for the development of large communities or garden cities.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 16 January 2014
	My Department has absolutely no plans to impose new towns on any part of the country. For the avoidance of doubt, I would add that a recent press report, implying there is some “secret” Government plan to impose such developments, is not true; nor am I aware of any report which was supposed to have been published by the Government but which has been “suppressed”.
	As I have previously made clear in my answers of 25 November 2013, Official Report, columns 84-5W, and 4 December 2013, Official Report, column 744W, the coalition Government have scrapped top-down Whitehall planning. This has included ending the last Government's flawed eco-towns programme. This approach reflects commitments made in both coalition parties' general election manifestos and in the coalition agreement. Indeed, I would note that both coalition party leaders criticised the last Administration's top-down, eco-town programme when in Opposition.
	Instead, the Government's policy is to support communities with their ambitions to deliver large-scale local development. So far, our Local Infrastructure Fund has unlocked locally-led large housing schemes capable of delivering over 69,000 new homes, and we are working to finalise investment deals for a further 10 stalled schemes capable of delivering up to 35,000 more homes—over 100,000 in total. A prospectus on bids for that fund was published in February 2013 and can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-infrastructure-fund-prospectus
	This delivered on the pledge made in the Government's November 2011 Housing Strategy for England.
	As my noble friend, Baroness Hanham, stated in her answer of 28 January 2013, Official Report, columns WA279-80, we are keen to promote garden city design in locally-led developments.
	The autumn statement committed a further £1 billion of funding to unlock locally-led housing schemes capable of delivering up to a further 250,000 new homes. A further prospectus inviting bids to this fund will be issued this spring.
	I hope this reassures my right hon. Friend. The Government's policy is very clear, as Ministers have previously stated to Parliament.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Afghan Government on possible measures to prevent the infiltration of the Afghan army by members of the Taliban.

Mark Francois: We and our International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan partners take the threat of insider attacks and infiltration of the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) by the insurgency extremely seriously and we continue to work together on a number of initiatives to understand and tackle this threat. These include:
	Improved ANSF vetting and introduction of re-vetting for Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers returning from leave to check for signs that they have been radicalised.
	Increased counter-intelligence capacity in ISAF and Afghan units.
	An anonymous reporting system has been established within the ANSF.
	The sale of uniforms has been outlawed across Afghanistan.
	Strong disciplinary actions for Afghan commanders who fail to reduce the risk of insider attacks.
	President Karzai has also mandated that ANA recruits are to be interviewed by a four-person council consisting of Afghan Ministry of Defence, Afghan Ministry of Interior, National Directorate of Security and medical department officials.

Astute Class Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned launch and in-service dates are for each remaining submarine in the Astute class.

Philip Dunne: As stated in the National Audit Office Major Projects Report 2012 (HC 684-1), the in-service dates for the remaining submarines in the Astute class are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Submarine In-service date 
			 Boat 3 (Artful) 2015 
			 Boat 4 (Audacious) 2018 
			 Boat 5 (Anson) 2020 
			 Boat 6 (Agamemnon) 2022 
			 Boat 7 2024 
		
	
	The actual launch date for each boat is agreed between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems Maritime—Submarines, the prime contractor. It marks the point in the build process when the boat is ready to exit the boat build hall and enter the water for the first time. On current plans, Boat 3 is due to leave the build hall in spring 2014. The launch dates for Boats 4 to 7 are yet to be agreed.

Djibouti

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are any UK officers stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.

Mark Francois: There are a very small number of UK military personnel deployed to Camp Lemonnier working closely alongside our US allies.

Gibraltar

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a Royal Navy warship of the size of a frigate was last based at Gibraltar; whether there are any plans to base a frigate at Gibraltar; what the potential (a) diplomatic and (b) naval utility would be of basing a frigate at Gibraltar; if he will make it his policy to base a frigate or larger warship at Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: The Government assess that the Royal Navy in Gibraltar has sufficient assets to deliver its current tasking. However, we constantly review the permanent and visiting naval presence in and around Gibraltar and will adjust it if necessary. We expect larger Royal Navy ships to continue to visit Gibraltar in relation to operational and training activity, reflecting its utility as a permanent joint operating base. However, they will continue to be based in the UK. Diplomatically, we continue to focus on political engagement with the Spanish Government.
	The Gibraltar Squadron was formed in August 1985, and information on the earlier Gibraltar Guardship role, which was latterly based in UK waters, is not held centrally. I will write to my hon. Friend once the naval records have been reviewed.
	Substantive answer from Andrew Murrison to Julian Lewis:
	On 8 January I undertook to write to you to answer your Parliamentary Question about the Royal Navy's Gibraltar Guardship (Official Report, column 255W).
	Naval Historical Records indicate that the Rothesay class frigate HMS BRIGHTON arrived in Gibraltar in October 1967 to provide a permanent Guardship presence; and that the Tribal class destroyer HMS GURKHA was the last frigate-size warship to be based in Gibraltar. She left Gibraltar on 2 February 1984.
	The Gibraltar Squadron—currently HM Ships SABRE and SCIMITAR—was formed in August 1985.

HMS Astute

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational cruises HMS Astute has undertaken since she was commissioned.

Mark Francois: HMS Astute was commissioned on 27 August 2010 and her handover date to the Royal Navy was 25 April 2013. HMS Astute is a technologically advanced first of class submarine, and is still undergoing a detailed test and evaluation process, including operational training for her crew.

Iran

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Government plan to enforce the ruling by the International Court of Arbitration in the case of International Military Services Ltd v Iran.

Mark Francois: Commercially and legally sensitive negotiations on this case continue, and it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Defence to comment on those at this time.

NATO

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department is doing to integrate NATO work on (a) UNSCR 1325 and (b) the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives into armed forces doctrine, training and practice.

Andrew Murrison: The UK is fully supportive of the work in NATO to integrate the principles of UNSCR 1325 into its force structure and operations. The UK Ministry of Defence also fills the post of the Deputy Chair of the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives. The appropriate elements of the NATO implementation plan will be included in the revised UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security to be published in 2014.

Theft

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on items stolen from his Department since May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence takes detecting and deterring fraud and theft seriously and set up a new counter fraud and loss department last year to improve the way fraud and theft is managed across Defence, the aim being to minimise the losses from the Defence budget from fraud, misappropriation and theft and thereby maximise the amount spent on our armed forces. The focus of this new department's work is to secure reduced losses caused by fraud, theft and loss, increased recovery through civil and internal procedures and the improved protection of assets through increased target hardening. The specific information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Theft

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of items stolen from his Department since May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence holds information on the value of items suspected as stolen back to 1 April 2007. This information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Value of alleged thefts (£) 
			 2007-08 315,290 
			 2008-09 949,226 
			 2009-10 2,407,776 
			 2010-11 972,061 
			 2011-12 1,166,798 
			 2012-13 816,906 
			 2013-14 (to 15 January) 572,459 
		
	
	These figures do not take into account the value of items subsequently recovered or that investigations may have established later that the temporary loss of an item was not the result of fraud or theft.
	We are vigorous in seeking to recover items suspected as stolen and have so far successfully recovered items to the value of around £600,000. We have also achieved improvements in detection and reporting in recent years.

EDUCATION

Children: Protection

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what recent steps he has taken to inform registered activity providers in the children's sector of their statutory obligations; and what additional steps he has taken to ensure those providers understand the changes in such rules brought about by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on campaigns aimed at promoting awareness amongst registered activity providers of their responsibility to report suspicious behaviour to the Disclosure and Barring Service or its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: It is extremely important that organisations in the children's sector understand their safeguarding responsibilities. ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education' provides information for schools and colleges on their safeguarding responsibilities. Last year we consulted on revising this guidance. Updated guidance will be published soon, reflecting the changes introduced by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The guidance will set out more clearly the statutory duties on schools and colleges to make referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework sets put the statutory responsibilities of early years providers. Registered early years providers are required to comply with the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which was revised by the Protection of Freedoms Act, and are required to refer appropriate cases to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Food and Drink Federation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings representatives of the Food and Drink Federation have attended with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The then Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), met with the Food and Drink Federation once in 2011 and once in 2012, and the Minister for Skills and Enterprise, my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock), met with the Federation once in 2013 to discuss skills in the food and drink sector.
	The Department for Education understands the importance of healthy eating and is committed to improving standards in school meals. To that end the Secretary of State commissioned an independent review of school food, following which the School Food Plan was published in July 2013. The plan is primarily designed to improve and promote healthy eating in schools and includes 16 actions for Government and others in an attempt to bring about this change, including increasing the quality and take-up of school meals and making cooking an entitlement in the key stages 1 to 3 curricula. One of the actions from the plan commits the Department to revise the existing school food standards, and we will be consulting on the new standards shortly.
	During the review of school food, officials and the reviewers met over 100 experts and interested parties, including many organisations with a focus on healthy food. They also met 500 people from over 150 schools at seven regional events. The Department and the reviewers convened a School Food Plan expert panel that included nutritionists, caterers, cooks, head teachers, charities, unions and academics. Officials continue to regularly engage with organisations that have an interest in supporting schools to provide healthy, tasty, nutritious food, for example the Children's Food Trust, Food for Life Partnership and School Food Matters.

Further Education: Finance

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the expected implications are for learners and colleges of the proposed reduction in funding for 18-year-olds, particularly those learners undertaking level 3 vocational programmes.

Matthew Hancock: We have carried out an impact assessment for the proposed reduction in funding for 18-year-olds in the academic year 2014/15, which includes an analysis by level of study and type of programme. The impact assessment is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/funding/fundings/a00210682/funding-formula-review

Further Education: Finance

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultation was undertaken before the recent announcement that funding for 18-year-olds will be reduced to 17.5% of that allocated to 16 and 17-year-olds.

Matthew Hancock: We wanted to inform colleges and schools as soon as possible of the proposed reduction in funding, to support planning for the 2014/15 academic year. It has been standard practice under various Governments not to consult on funding rates.

Further Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many 18-year-olds are studying in further education institutions in Warrington; and what proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds in further education that figure represents.

Matthew Hancock: There are 640 students aged 18 studying in further education institutions in Warrington, out of a total 16 to 18-year-old student number of 3,624. Data are based on the 2012/13 Return14 Individual Learning Record return; the latest available full year of data. Place of study is defined as those institutions that are based in Warrington, rather than the student's resident postcode.
	The move to the new system of funding per student from 2013/14 has meant that if we did not make this change to 18-year-old funding a significant proportion of 18-year-olds would be funded for larger programmes than full-time 18-year-olds have received in recent years.

Further Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 18-year-olds in further education in Warrington are studying for (a) level 3 qualifications and (b) level 2 courses.

Matthew Hancock: There are 640 students aged 18 studying in further education institutions in Warrington. Of these, 74 study at Level 2 and a further 507 study at Level 3.
	This information is based on the 2012/13 Return14 Individual Learning Record return, the latest available full year of data. Level is defined as the notional level of study of the individual's core aim.
	The move to the new system of funding per student from 2013/14 has meant that, if we did not make this change to 18-year-old funding, a significant proportion of 18-year-olds would be funded for larger programmes than full-time 18-year-olds have received in recent years.

Further Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 18-year-olds in further education in Warrington come from areas of social deprivation.

Matthew Hancock: There are 640 students aged 18 studying in further education institutions in Warrington. 247 come from areas of social deprivation.
	This information is based on the 2012/13 Return14 Individual Learning Record return; the latest available full academic year. Areas of social deprivation are defined as "From Deprived Area", based on the Ward in which the individuals' postcode is recorded, based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
	The move to the new system of funding per student from 2013/14 has meant that, if we did not make this change to 18-year-old funding, a significant proportion of 18-year-olds would be funded for larger programmes than full-time 18-year-olds have received in recent years.

Internet: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on cyber-bullying.

Edward Timpson: I am a member of the Executive Board of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS). This is a group of more than 200 organisations drawn from across Government, industry, law, academia and charity sectors that work in partnership to help keep children safe online. These include Facebook and Microsoft.
	The board meets on a quarterly basis and is chaired jointly by the Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green), and the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), and me.
	Representatives from the devolved Administrations, including Northern Ireland, also attend on a regular basis.

Kings Science Academy

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will publish all communications between his Department and Alan Lewis regarding financial management at the Kings Science Academy in Bradford;
	(2)  whether his Department had any direct communication with Alan Lewis regarding the 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets at the Kings Science Academy in Bradford.

Edward Timpson: The ongoing police investigation means that it would not be appropriate to release any details at this time.

Kings Science Academy

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the option appraisal report which was conducted in order to find a site for the Kings Science Academy in Bradford.

Edward Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bradford West (George Galloway) on 29 November 2013, Official Report column 448W.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials at each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of those officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used in his Department to assess procurement officer's performance are.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has a Resource Management system, which requires that all purchase orders are approved by a person with skills associated with the category of purchase concerned. There are 42 people with authority to raise purchase orders, of whom 25 are Members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
	The Department, including its Executive agencies, complies with Cabinet Office policy on spending controls, which require that the Department's Head of Procurement Profession is involved in the approval of expenditure on all ICT spend over £1 million, all consultancy, Government's key suppliers, professional services and new commercial models. The Head of Procurement Profession is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
	Each procurement professional has a set of personal objectives which vary depending on their role. All are linked to four strands of activity: Support for Major Projects, Professional Capability, Commercial Support for Schools and Contract Management.

Schools: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to increase the number of automatic external defibrillators in schools.

David Laws: We have placed an amendment in the Children and Families Bill to create a new duty on governing bodies of maintained schools (and proprietors of academies) to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance. The guidance is currently being developed in collaboration with members of the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance, schools and with parents and young people. We intend to consult on the draft guidance later this term.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that (a) vacant Governor places are filled, particularly in rural and coastal areas and (b) such Governors are representative of a wide range of groups, including local employers.

Edward Timpson: Governing bodies are responsible for ensuring that they fill their vacancies in a timely manner. They have considerable flexibility to determine their own membership and the extent to which this is representative of a wide range of groups, including employers. On 13 January the Government published a consultation on draft regulations and statutory guidance for maintained schools, emphasising that governor appointments must be based on the skills that governing bodies need.
	The Department for Education funds the charity Governors for Schools (SGOSS) to support governing bodies in academies and maintained schools to recruit new governors. SGOSS works with businesses to recruit governors and matches governor candidates with schools that need their skills. The service is free to schools and employers. Our funding conditions require SGOSS to have a particular focus on vacancies in rural areas.
	The Department is committed to working with SGOSS, CBI and other organisations to encourage more high calibre people to volunteer as governors and to encourage more employers to support their staff to do so.

Schools: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the schools assessed by Ofsted in Nottinghamshire in 2013 were rated as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requiring improvement and (d) inadequate.

David Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Bank Services

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with what bank his Department's bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold an overdrawn bank account.
	It does have an overdraft facility on one account with Royal Bank of Scotland plc, to provide a buffer in the rare event that funds do not reach the account on time or more cheques are cashed than anticipated.
	The annual renewal fee is £750 and there were no usage charges in the last financial year.

District Heating: Stoke on Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from Stoke-on-Trent City Council on approval to establish a district heat network in Stoke-on-Trent.

Gregory Barker: The Department has held meetings at official level with Stoke-on-Trent city council and their partners to discuss their local energy development plans. The Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) has not received an application from Stoke-on-Trent city council for feasibility funding, but would be happy to consider one in the current or subsequent rounds. The Department will announce the results of the first round of the HNDU applications shortly.
	Regarding the City Deal, Stoke-on-Trent city council and their local partners are currently in negotiations with Government, and have proposed a number of energy-related developments including the district heat network. The City Deal programme is overseen by the Minister for Cities and the Constitution with contributions from officials and Ministers from across Government. My Department is currently supporting this process, including the potential options for funding the proposals.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the answer of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 895W, on energy: Scotland, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes in the market share of each of the six biggest energy suppliers in the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The following reports published by Ofgem show the big six gas and electricity suppliers' market share in Great Britain in June 2003, December 2007 and 2012:
	Domestic gas and electricity supply competition report 2003
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/38550/3775-dcmr04july.pdf
	(pages 41 and 44)
	Energy Supply Probe Initial Findings Report in October 2008
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/82755/2013greatbritainandnorthernirelandnationalreportstothe europeancommission.pdf
	(pages 33 for gas and 32 for electricity).
	2013 National Report to the European Commission
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/82755/2013greatbritainandnorthernirelandnationalreportstothe europeancommission.pdf
	(pages 110 for gas and 59 for electricity)
	
		
			 Gas 
			 Supplier Percentage of market share: March 2003 Percentage of market share: December 2007 Percentage of market share: December 2012 
			 British Gas 63 44 40 
			 SSE 6 15 15 
			 E.On (Powergen in 2003) 12 13 13 
			 RWE nPower 9 12 12 
			 Edf (LE Group in 2003) 5 7 9 
			 Scottish Power 5 6 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Electricity 
			 Supplier Percentage of market share: June 2003 Percentage of market share: December 2007 Percentage of market share: December 2012 
			 British Gas 23 22 25 
			 SSE 14 19 18 
			 E.On (Powergen in 2003) 22 18 17 
			 RWE npower 16 15 14 
		
	
	
		
			 Edf (LE Group in 2003) 15 13 13 
			 Scottish Power 10 12 12

Fracking

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that will be created by the fracking industry in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK in the next 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The Department has not made such an estimate.
	In a May 2013 report, the Institute of Directors estimated that UK shale production could support 74,000 jobs.

Fracking

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which English counties are being considered for shale gas exploration under the draft licensing plan issued in December 2013.

Michael Fallon: All counties in England except Cornwall include areas being considered under the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the next Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round. More details of the SEA areas can be found on the map (Figure NTS 1) on page vi of the Environmental Report via the following weblink:
	https://econsultation.decc.gov.uk/decc-policy/consultation-env-report-further-oil-gas-licensing/

Natural Gas

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken against the threat to cast iron gas mains from the recent severe weather.

Michael Fallon: Gas distribution networks (GDNs) are responsible for the gas mains. In addition to defined ongoing maintenance regimes to maintain equipment integrity, there is an ongoing mains replacement programme which has been agreed with HSE and funded via the regulatory price control regime managed by Ofgem.
	In the event of water ingress into the mains which causes gas supply issues, such as low pressure, GDNs have tried and tested methods to extract the water and re-secure supplies to households.
	HSE formally monitor incident reporting, and DECC officials liaise closely with HSE to be kept informed of any significant incidents.

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met the chief executive of the Office for Nuclear Regulation; and for what purpose that meeting took place.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) last met the chief executive of the Office for Nuclear Regulation, along with the then acting chief nuclear inspector, on 12 September 2013 for a briefing on progress in developing the chief nuclear inspector’s Annual Report. The meeting also covered wider issues such as ONR's preparations for its new status as a statutory regulatory body, for which the Energy Act 2013 makes legal provision.

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the regulatory priorities in the 2013 Annual Report from the Office for Nuclear Regulation; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: As an independent regulator, it is for the Office for Nuclear Regulation to determine its regulatory priorities and to deliver against them. Given DECC Ministers’ accountability to Parliament for nuclear safety and security, we continue to seek assurance from ONR that it regulates the nuclear industry in an efficient and effective way, holding it to account on behalf of the public.

Power Failures

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps are being taken to make the UK's electricity distribution network more resilient to winter storms.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the Under-Secretary of State and I met with the Distribution Network Operators, Energy Networks Association, Ofgem and Energy Emergencies Executive Committee on Wednesday 8 January to discuss the recent disruptions to electricity supply as a result of severe weather. At that meeting the Secretary of State commissioned a review of the response. The review will focus on communications with household energy customers, necessary resources to be able to cope with widespread disruption, and the compensation process. There was also agreement to investigate as quickly as possible the setting up of an emergency telephone number which households can call if they experience a power cut. This review will report back to the Secretary of State within two months.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not maintain central records for work experience placements. Therefore, DECC does not centrally hold this specific information and we estimate that providing the details that you have requested would incur disproportionate costs. DECC operates work experience placements in line with the Government's social mobility strategy and within the guidelines of civil service employee policy. DECC provides line managers with clear guidance on work experience placements both in relation to their recruitment and placement with particular reference to health and safety. The guidance implemented is that developed through civil service employee policy.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 729W, on the badger cull, when he plans to publish the requested information on the full costs of the pilot badger culls.

George Eustice: Costs of the pilot badger culls involve several different components: police costs, DEFRA costs and industry costs.
	The final police costs of the first year of the pilots are still to be calculated and verified. The majority of costs to DEFRA are one-off costs associated with monitoring of controlled shooting during the first year of the pilots. In ensuring robustness of this monitoring, hair trapping fieldwork, detailed laboratory post-mortems and night-time field observations were carried out. This work comes at a cost but will not have to be repeated in subsequent years or for other cull areas should it be decided to roll-out the policy. The policy is implemented by the cull companies, funded by the farming industry.
	A revised economic assessment is being prepared to inform decision making, and will be published once decisions are announced in due course.
	Information on the costs of the badger culls will also be released.

Fisheries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of fish stocks in UK and European waters.

George Eustice: The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) assesses the state of EU fish stocks annually. The most recent ICES advice for the majority of fish stocks in the UK and European waters was released in June 2013. This informed decisions on 2014 fishing quotas taken at the December 2013 EU Fisheries Council.

Fisheries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of trawling on fish stocks.

George Eustice: The impact of trawling and other commercial fishing methods on fish stocks is assessed annually as part of the process which underpins fixing the total allowable catches for stocks, subject to quota limits. The impact of commercial fishing activities on stocks is a key element of the scientific advice of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, which informs the proposals considered by EU fisheries ministers each December to agree fishing opportunities for the following year.

Fisheries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK fishing businesses use trawlers when fishing.

George Eustice: The most recent UK Fleet Capacity Report, prepared by the Marine Management Organisation (for 2012), indicated 889 demersal trawlers (including seiners) and 96 beam trawlers in the UK fleet.

Fisheries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to introduce measures to protect and replenish fish stocks in UK waters.

George Eustice: The reformed EU common fisheries policy entered into force on 1 January 2014. During negotiations the UK was successful in securing a new legally binding commitment to manage fish stocks to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2015 where possible, and 2020 at the latest, bringing an end to the discarding of fish and a new regional decision making process.
	The Government will also be implementing the marine strategy framework directive (MSFD) to deliver good environmental status (GES) by 2020, as well as further developing our network of marine protected areas.

Fisheries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which fish species commonly caught in the UK are currently considered at risk.

George Eustice: There are currently 30 EU stocks in which the UK has a commercial interest where there is sufficient scientific advice to know whether the stocks are being managed sustainably. Fourteen of these stocks are not yet being exploited at sustainable levels. Of these, many are on the right track to recovery, but others are considered to be at greater risk. These include west of Scotland cod, Irish sea cod and Irish sea sole.

Flood Control

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 345W, on flood control, what share of the capital spending set out in each year was for flood defence schemes for which funding had been committed prior to May 2010.

Dan Rogerson: Environment Agency figures are given below, showing the amount of flood and coastal risk management grant in aid (FCERM GiA) capital for flood risk management, which was committed to schemes on which work had started before 2010-11.
	
		
			 Ongoing costs of scheme commitments made prior to May 2010 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2010-11 150.5 
			 2011-12 71.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 74.0 
			 2013-14 50.3

Floods

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Floodline Warnings Direct.

Dan Rogerson: During an event, Floodline Warnings Direct contacts customers who are at risk from flooding and are registered on the system.
	The Environment Agency routinely monitors the performance of Floodline Warnings Direct during a flood event and makes an assessment of its performance afterwards.
	The most recent assessment took place following the coastal flood event of 4-6 December 2013. The Environment Agency's assessment showed that over 73% of calls sent from Floodline Warnings Direct were received within 10 minutes of the flood warning being issued. In total over 526,000 calls were sent to customers during the event.
	Floodline Warnings Direct continues to be both reliable and effective in warning the public and emergency services about the possibility of flooding.

Food: Waste

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce food wastage; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 732W.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years.

Dan Rogerson: The response on (a) to (c) is set out in the following table. On (d), Core DEFRA does not use a pre-qualification questionnaire for procurements below the OJEU threshold.
	
		
			  Restricted procedure Open procedure Via Framework Agreements 
			 Procurement method Pre-qualification questionnaires above OJEU threshold Open Competitive OJEU Competition/Direct Award under framework 
			 2010-11    
			 Number of contracts 0 14 54 
			 Percentage of contracts 0 5.3 20.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Total value (£) 0 14,872,670.72 18,569,796.99 
			     
			 2011-12    
			 Number of contracts 2 15 57 
			 Percentage of contracts 1 6.9 26.3 
			 Total value (£) 2,666,525.72 6,228,763.39 9,659,459.38 
			     
			 2012-13    
			 Number of contracts 0 15 126 
			 Percentage of contracts 0 3.9 32.9 
			 Total value (£) 0 23,208,846.00 38,744,849.92 
		
	
	This information excludes (a) research spending, which is not subject to the EU thresholds, and (b) work commissioned under major services contracts. Procurements below the OJEU threshold are included in the calculations in the table.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 176W, on Afghanistan, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 20 January 2014 on co-ordinated EU action to protect Afghan women human rights defenders.

Hugh Robertson: We are working closely with the EU and its member states to ensure that human rights, including the protection of human rights defenders, remain a top priority for the EU's future work in Afghanistan. Officials have raised this issue with the EU and other member states in Brussels and European capitals, and will continue to do so. We will continue to press this point at the EU Human Rights and Gender Working Group in Kabul. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) will use the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 20 January to reinforce this message and underline the importance of this priority being reflected in any future EU strategy for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the effect of conflict on civilians in Afghanistan.

Hugh Robertson: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) release an annual and mid- year report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. The most recent report covered January to June 2013 and found that the majority of civilian deaths (74%) are caused by “Anti-Government Elements”. The UK works to incorporate the recommendations from these reports into our plans and procedures. ISAF and UK forces have strict operating procedures to minimise the risk of casualties occurring and to investigate any incidents that do happen.

Afghanistan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of civilians killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Hugh Robertson: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) protection of civilians report covering January to June 2013 attributed 74% of the 1,319 civilian deaths to “Anti-Government Elements”, including the Taliban.

Bank Services

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with what bank his Department's bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year.

David Lidington: During the financial year 2012-13, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's main bank account was held with the Government Banking Service. Although there is an overdraft facility on the account, it was not overdrawn at any point during the year and therefore no bank charges were incurred.

EU External Trade

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the potential economic benefits to the UK of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership being agreed and implemented.

David Lidington: According to a study commissioned and published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, an ambitious, comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal could over the long term be worth up to £10 billion to the UK annually.

Iran

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to nominate a UK bank for transactions linked to the UK's obligations under the Geneva Joint Plan of Action with Iran.

Hugh Robertson: The Joint Plan of Action agreed in Geneva between the E3 plus 3 and Iran provides for proportionate and limited sanctions relief from the United States and the European Union, in return for significant commitments from Iran regarding its nuclear programme. As a member of the E3 plus 3 and the EU, the UK will fulfil its commitments under the Geneva agreement, while respecting the decisions taken by commercial entities.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent reports he has received on the political stability of Iraq;
	(2)  what recent reports he has received on the effect of conflict on civilians in Iraq.

Hugh Robertson: We receive regular reports on the political and security situation in Iraq. We remain deeply concerned by continuing reports that al-Qaeda (AQ) controls parts of Fallujah. We stand by the Iraqi Government in combating the threat of terrorism, which can only be done effectively in collaboration with local communities, and continue to urge that civilians are protected in any action by the Iraqi Security Forces. To defeat terrorism in the long-term, and to bring greater political stability, Iraq's political leaders must also establish a more inclusive political process; we continue to stress the importance of free and fair elections being held on time in April 2014.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the work of the Iraqi army.

Hugh Robertson: We receive regular reports on the security situation in Iraq, including the role of the Iraqi army. Current operations include Operation Iron Hammer intended to tackle the presence of terrorist groups in Anbar province, western Iraq. We continue to urge that military operations demonstrate proportionate use of force.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to seek the repeal of UNSCR 1970 on arms exports to Libya.

Hugh Robertson: We, and the Libyan Government, recognise that there are still significant challenges to human rights and security across Libya. Against that backdrop it is important that the international community demonstrates its commitment to extreme caution on the question of introducing new weapons into Libya. The UK has fully supported the arms embargo and ensured its robust implementation. Therefore, we have no plans to seek the repeal of UNSCR 1970 at this time.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek the lifting of the EU embargo on arms exports to Libya as set out in CD 2011/137/CFSP.

Hugh Robertson: We, and the Libyan Government, recognise that there are still significant challenges to human rights and security across Libya. Against that backdrop it is important that the international community demonstrates its commitment to extreme caution on the question of introducing new weapons into Libya. The UK has fully supported the arms embargo and ensured its robust implementation. Therefore, we have no plans to seek the lifting of the EU arms embargo at this time.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the effect of arms embargos on Libya on the security and human rights situation in that country.

Hugh Robertson: The UK fully supports the Libyan arms embargo and ensures its robust implementation. All exports of arms and other controlled military goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, and in accordance with the UN and EU arms embargoes. Licences for the Libyan Government are approved in consultation with the Libyan Government to ensure we are supplying only Government-approved end users.

Middle East

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that in all contacts with the Governments of Arab countries his Department will raise issues of religious intolerance and promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to protect Christians and other religious minorities.

Hugh Robertson: The British Government are committed to supporting the fundamental human right to freedom of religion or belief. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the basis of our position. We support this right in the middle east by regularly raising concerns with Government interlocutors; building international consensus around freedom of religion or belief; supporting practical projects on community dialogue; and engaging with civil society and faith groups.
	However, the wide range of different contacts the Government have with Arab Governments on a daily basis, covering human rights, security, consular and prosperity issues would render a policy where religious intolerance is raised in all contacts unworkable.
	Government Ministers regularly speak out against abuses to the right to freedom of religion or belief. For instance, I discussed the situation faced by Coptic Christians in Egypt and implications of the draft constitution in my meeting with Bishop Yulios, a representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church and an assistant to Pope Tawadros II, during a recent visit to Cairo on 16 December.
	Against a backdrop of deep and difficult challenges facing minority communities in the region, the Government are working hard to support the building of societies in the middle east and North Africa which respect human rights, the rule of law, and the equality and opportunity of all citizens. To this end, we support long-term political and economic reform in the region through the Arab Partnership, which includes a £110 million fund over 2011-15.

Middle East and Africa

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the UK has made to Governments in the middle east and Africa on protection of religious groups and eradicating intolerance of Christians.

David Lidington: We continue to stand up for the rights of those persecuted because of their religion or belief, regardless of where the persecution takes place. This was the focus of a recent speech by the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi in Washington and her article in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano stressing the need for an international response to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. The Minister announced plans to host an international conference in the first half of 2014 on promoting the benefits of religious pluralism to encourage countries to protect this fundamental, yet threatened human right.
	We have raised our concerns about the plight of Christians including in the middle east and Africa, at both ministerial and official level. For example, at the UN Human Rights Council in September we raised the lack of protection for religious minorities in Egypt, stressing that attacks against places of worship are abhorrent and must stop. We have also made clear that those responsible for human rights violations and abuses in Syria should be held to account. In October, Baroness Warsi met Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III where they discussed the Geneva II process to establish peace negotiations, the plight of Christians in Syria and the humanitarian crisis affecting Syria and the region.
	During regular talks with the Nigerian Government we have shared our concerns that those responsible for violent attacks, which cause suffering in communities of different faiths and ethnicities and aim to provoke religious division, should be brought to justice. In Eritrea, ministers and officials raise freedom of religion or belief with the Government at every opportunity and will continue to do so. For example, last year our ambassador raised the persecution of Christians with senior representatives of the Eritrean Government.
	As well as lobbying Governments and meeting with local Christian leaders we also support projects which help to encourage co-operation and understanding between different faith groups. For example, in Syria we have been promoting minority rights by supporting projects to increase dialogue and reduce tensions between different communities. In Nigeria, the UK Aid-funded Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme is working to help tackle conflict in Plateau and Kaduna states, including by engaging with faith leaders.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what weighting his Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. In line with procurement law, we take a proportionate approach to defining evaluation criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract and weightings for each procurement and ensure equal opportunity to all bidders. Such criteria cannot include supplier type or location.
	Wider socio-economic criteria can be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they relate directly to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what value of contracts procured by his Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds.

David Lidington: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost. Data from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas posts are not held centrally as the authority to enter into contracts below £80,000 is devolved to them.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of his Department's contracts have been let to companies with (a) one to five, (b) six to 49, (c) 50 to 250 and (d) more than 250 staff.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to increasing its direct and indirect spend with small and medium-sized enterprises. However, we do not hold information on supplier staff numbers that would answer the question to the level of detail specified.
	Last financial year (2012-13), the FCO had direct1 SME spend of 20.5% and indirect2 spend of 4.3%.
	1 Direct spend is based on UK spend only.
	2 Taken from the quarterly supplier survey and has been calculated against global total procurement spend.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold all of this data centrally for the time period in question. It would incur disproportionate cost to answer this question because the authority to enter into contracts under £80,000 is devolved to posts overseas and the data are not held centrally. However, we can provide the following information for Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excluding FCO Services and arm’s-length bodies) procurements conducted under Restricted and Open procedures via the Official Journal of the European Union:
	2010
	Three contracts awarded under the Restricted procedure with a total value of £70,628,519.
	2011
	11 contracts awarded under the Restricted procedure with a total value of £43,175,910.
	2012
	Three contracts awarded under the Restricted procedure with a total value of £26,035,648.
	One contract awarded under the Open procedure with a value of £178,750.
	The FCO does not centrally hold data on framework use and the frequency of use of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires for the years in question.

Syria

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific provisions the UK Government are putting towards the international effort to decommission Syria's chemical weapons.

Hugh Robertson: The UK has provided support worth £2.4 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' destruction effort. On 19 December we announced that we would accept some of the chemicals for destruction in licensed UK facilities. A Royal Navy ship, HMS Montrose, will accompany the Danish and Norwegian vessels transporting the chemical stocks in international waters after leaving Syria. The UK will also provide specialist equipment for use on board the US vessel where material of greatest proliferation concern will be neutralised.

HEALTH

Care Homes: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require care homes to provide automatic external defibrillators.

Norman Lamb: The Department is not responsible for the installation of defibrillators. We have no plans to require their provision in care homes. Since February 2007, ambulance trusts have had responsibility for sustaining the legacy of the National Defibrillator Programme. We consider they are best placed to understand the requirements of local populations.
	As set out in the “Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy”, published on 5 March 2013, NHS England is working with the Resuscitation Council, the British Heart Foundation and others to promote the site mapping and registration of defibrillators and first-responder programmes by ambulance services. These organisations will also look at ways of increasing the number of people who are trained in using defibrillators and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Cleft Palate

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether people born with cleft lip and palate are entitled to cosmetic surgery on the NHS free of charge.

Jane Ellison: All types of treatment required for cleft lip and palate are available on the national health service, including surgery. Access to this service is based on clinical need and is free of charge.

Deloitte

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 138W, on Deloitte, whether any third parties possess a copy of the correspondence from Peter Coates to Mike Turley dated 19 January 2010.

Daniel Poulter: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave her on 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 537W.

Food and Drink Federation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings representatives of the Food and Drink Federation attended with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: Available records state that Ministers have attended 16 meetings at which the Food and Drink Federation has been present; the majority of these also included public health representatives. Officials have attended 99 meetings at which the Food and Drink Federation has been present. The Food and Drink Federation is a member of the Public Health Responsibility Deal Food Network.

General Practitioners: Defibrillators

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on requiring GP practices that hold automatic external defibrillators to make them publicly available.

Jane Ellison: It is for individual general practices to make decisions on whether to make automatic external defibrillators held on their premises publicly available.
	The National Defibrillator Programme, which was coordinated by the Department from 2000, began placing automated external defibrillators in public places. From February 2007, responsibility for continuing the legacy of the National Defibrillator Programme was devolved to ambulance trusts. Most of the ambulance trusts across the United Kingdom have community resuscitation departments or similar, which work to place defibrillators in the community, and in areas of need.
	As set out in the “Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy”, published on 5 March 2013, NHS England is working with the Resuscitation Council, the British Heart Foundation and others to promote the site mapping and registration of defibrillators and first-responder programmes by ambulance services. These organisations will also look at ways of increasing the number of people who are trained in using defibrillators and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Hospitals: Parking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the number and proportion of NHS hospitals in England that charge patients and visitors for using their car parks, (b) the total number of patients and visitors charged for using car parks at NHS hospitals in England, (c) the total revenue generated from charging patients and visitors for using car parks at NHS hospitals in England and (d) how much and what proportion of the total revenue generated was received by private sector organisations in each year since 2009-10.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not all available in the format requested.
	The number and proportion of national health service hospitals in England that charge patients and visitors for using their car parks is provided in the following table. The types of hospital sites included in these figures include general acute hospitals, treatment centres, multi-service hospitals, specialist hospitals, short-term non-acute hospitals, community hospitals and long-stay hospitals. NHS trusts can have more than one site.
	
		
			  Number of hospital sites with parking Number of hospital sites with parking which charge patients and visitors Percentage of hospital sites with parking which charge patients and visitors 
			 2009-10 941 340 36.1 
			 2010-11 910 352 38.7 
			 2011-12 950 355 37.4 
			 2012-13 872 342 39.2 
		
	
	It is based on data collected annually through the Estates Return Information Collection system on sites that provide patient and visitor parking and those where the average fee for the first three hours of parking was provided. It excludes those sites that do not provide car parking for patients and visitors as well as those sites that do not provide clinical services.
	Data are not collected centrally on the total number of patients and visitors charged for using car parks at NHS hospitals in England. The total revenue generated from charging patients and visitors for using car parks at NHS hospitals in England and how much and what proportion of the total revenue generated was received by private sector organisations.
	Decisions on the provision of car parking, including whether it is charged for and how much such charges are, are made locally by the NHS organisations themselves.
	All the data provided have been supplied by the NHS and were not amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

NHS Trust Development Authority

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 146W, on NHS Trust Development Authority, for what reasons the two contracts valued at over £100,000 with Gareth Cruddace Limited were not put out to competitive tender.

Daniel Poulter: Upon its establishment, the priority for the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) was to provide continuity of existing arrangements for those projects already underway by securing appropriate resourcing from established and experienced consultants with specific capability and knowledge of those projects. In recognition of this and to ensure adherence to pre-determined timescales, a number of untendered arrangements were entered into on a time-limited or specific project delivery basis.
	Gareth Cruddace Ltd was engaged to ensure the successful dissolution and transfer of staff for three London transactions following the work of the Trust Special Administrator. The first of these contracts was entered into by NHS London and inherited by the NHS TDA. The second contract was entered into by the NHS TDA.

NHS Trust Development Authority

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 146W, on NHS Trust Development Authority, for what purpose Carnall Farrar LLP was engaged; who made the decision to engage that firm; and for what reasons the contract for the engagement was not subject to competitive tender.

Daniel Poulter: Upon its establishment, the priority for the NHS Trust Development Agency (NHS TDA) was to provide continuity of existing arrangements for those projects already underway by securing appropriate resourcing from established and experienced consultants with specific capability and knowledge of those projects. In recognition of this and to ensure adherence to pre-determined timescales, a number of untendered arrangements were entered into on a time-limited or specific project delivery basis.
	Carnall Farrar LLP was identified following a head-hunting process to support the NHS TDA's work on the Sir Bruce Keogh mortality review. It was selected because it has previously been in positions that regularly required capability assessments to be made of senior leaders and the contract price represents value for money, in that it is considerably below the equivalent costs of appointing senior-partner-level advisers, through a major consultancy firm. This contract was entered into by the NHS TDA.

NHS: Crime Prevention

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 147W, on NHS: crime prevention, 
	(1)  how many investigations NHS Protect undertook in 2010; how many such investigations led to (a) criminal prosecutions and (b) internal disciplinary procedures; and what the cost of each such investigation was;
	(2)  where information about investigations by NHS Protect is held.

Daniel Poulter: NHS Protect investigative work is reported by April to March financial years. The information on 2009-10 and 2010-11 is in the table.
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 Investigations 482 251 
			 Criminal prosecutions 65 105 
			 Internal disciplinary actions 48 58 
		
	
	In any 12-month period the summary of investigation work will show investigations with outcomes in a future period and outcomes from investigations that commenced in a previous period.
	The cost of each investigation leading to criminal prosecutions or internal disciplinary procedures is not available and could be obtained only at disproportional cost.
	NHS Protect annual reports provide summaries of investigation work. The annual reports for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are available on the NHS Protect website at:
	www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/CounterFraud/Documents/CounterFraud/NHS_CFS_performance_report_09_10.pdf
	www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Documents/CounterFraud/PERFORMANCE_REPORT.pdf

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials at each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of those officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used in his Department to assess procurement officer's performance are.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has a total of 39 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts in its centralised procurement team. Of these, 24 FTEs are procurement professionals— 15 holding full graduate membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, with the other nine holding foundation level membership and in progress towards graduate status. The 39 posts are at the following grades: one at Senior Civil Service, three at Grade 6, six at Grade 7, 12 at Senior Executive Officer, 13 at Higher Executive Officer and four at Executive Officer.
	The centralised procurement team provides the professional lead role and supports core spending activities across the Department, although staff outside of the centralised procurement team will also engage in procurement services. It is therefore not possible to identify a definitive number of officials and their grades engaged in procurement services across the Department.
	Performance of procurement officials is managed through the Department Performance Management Policy framework, which sets out the expected standard of performance.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Deportation: Offenders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals who successfully appealed against their deportation under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007 used Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights as part of their appeal in each year since the implementation of the Act;
	(2)  which articles of the European Convention on Human Rights were used as part of their appeal by those foreign nationals who successfully appealed against their deportation under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007 in each year since the implementation of the Act.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 December 2013
	Although we have previously answered these questions in full, we have reviewed the process by which they were answered and found that while we managed to provide a robust response, it exceeded the amount of time that we could expend.
	Gaining a view on the grounds for appeal requires a manual review of all the records involved because this specific piece of information is not recorded at the outset of the appeal in a manner which we can interrogate electronically.
	Any refresh of this information would require us to perform the manual review again, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	I refer to the reply given on 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 793W, on the number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) who successfully appealed against deportation under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130423/text/130423w0001.htm#130423 w0001.htm_wqn26
	We are, however, able to provide the following table, which shows the number of appeals lodged against deportation between January 2008 and September 2013. The data provided relate to all deportation appeals and not just those whose case is being pursed under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007.
	
		
			  Year appeal lodged: 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Total FNOs appealing against deportation 2,245 1,780 1,910 1,740 2,145 1,830 
			 Of which:       
			 FNOs whose appeals were allowed 360 435 625 545 630 170 
			 Of which:       
			 FNOs whose appeals were allowed on HR grounds 65 235 365 355 360 65 
			 Notes: 1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information from the Home Office databases and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. A foreign national offender (FNO) is defined as an individual with a criminal case (includes deportations being pursued under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007), on the Home Office's Case Information Database, and may include individuals with asylum cases. 3. Figures relate to main applicants only. 4. Figures relate to individuals who lodged appeals against deportation between January 2008 and September 2013. Appeal outcomes may have been decided in the same or subsequent years. Some outcomes may be awaiting decision and figures may change as outcomes are determined. 5. Appeals allowed include those determined in both the Lower and Upper Tiers, and include appeals allowed on Human Rights, asylum and non-asylum grounds. They exclude Secretary of State reconsideration and costs awarded outcomes. 6. Appeals allowed on Human Rights grounds include Article 8 and Article 3, with or without other articles. 7. Figures rounded to the nearest 5 (— = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. 8. Data extracted on 1 October 2013.

Immigrants: Detainees

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average daily cost of detention per person in each of the last three years was at (a) Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre and (b) all immigration detention centres.

Mark Harper: The Home Office has 10 immigration removal centres, seven of which are operated by private sector suppliers under contract, and three by the National Offender Management Service under a service level agreement.
	The operating cost for each privately-operated immigration removal centre is commercially confidential and public disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of the Home Office and its suppliers. Budgets are set according to anticipated expenditure set out in each of the contracts or the service level agreement.
	However, details of detention and removal costs can be found in the Home Office's Annual Report and Accounts available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/annual-reports-accounts/
	The Home Office also publishes payments in excess of £25,000 on its website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/transparency/transparency-spend/
	The overall cost of operating the detention estate has fallen, a contributing factor of which is the way the Home Office has developed a healthy interest in its services from the private sector. Competition has helped to drive service improvements and reduced costs. The cost of operating the detention estate for the last three years is:
	
		
			  Cost per night per detainee (£) 
			 2011-12 102 
			 2012-13 102 
			 2013-14 100 
		
	
	All Immigration Removal Centres operated by the private and public sector have their contract or service level agreement managed by a central commercial team.
	The Home Office has a team of staff based in each centre to monitor day-to-day service delivery and compliance. Meetings take place with the Centre Manager at an operational level on a weekly basis and at a commercial level on a quarterly basis.

Refugee Integration and Employment Service

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many refugees the Refugee Integration and Employment Service helped in (a) each year it was operational and (b) total;
	(2)  how much it cost to fund the Refugee Integration and Employment Service in (a) each year it was operational and (b) total.

Mark Harper: holding answer 13 January 2014
	The Refugee Integration and Employment Service (RIES) operated from 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2011 when, in line with the contract terms, the service ceased. The total number of refugees assisted in each of these three operational years was:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 5,021 
			 2009-10 4,589 
			 2010-11 2,854 
		
	
	The total number of refugees helped was 12,464.
	The costs for each of the four financial years in which RIES operated were:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 2,742,593 
			 2009-10 10,966,145 
			 2010-11 9,264,978 
			 2011-12 2,693,678 
		
	
	The total cost was £25,667,394.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Tours

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, how many hon. Members' sponsored tours of the Palace of Westminster took place during non-sitting Fridays during (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013; and how many are booked for 2014.

John Thurso: The number of hon. Members' sponsored tours of the Palace of Westminster that took place during (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 is as follows:
	
		
			   Tours on non-sitting Fridays Total tours for the year 
			  Total non-sitting Fridays1 Tours Participants Tours Participants 
			 2011 44 1,519 27,386 6,911 121,067 
			 2012 41 1,266 21,495 6,599 114,404 
			 2013 36 1,486 35,383 6,703 127,808 
			 1 Fridays on which the House of Commons was not sitting. 
		
	
	2014: 285 tours for 5,830 participants have so far been booked on 23 non-sitting Fridays between January and June. In total, 2,231 tours have been booked for 43,411 participants.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has committed to each of her Department's strategic priorities for Afghanistan.

Alan Duncan: DFID's priorities in Afghanistan are: supporting peace, security and political stability; promoting economic growth and jobs; and helping the state to deliver improved services. In 2013, the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) announced that tackling violence against women and girls would also be a strategic priority for DFID in Afghanistan in future.
	DFID publishes Afghanistan funding by sector in its annual report. It is not possible to precisely disaggregate funding against our overlapping and mutually reinforcing priorities. However, from total expenditure of £180.7 million in 2012-13, DFID spent 69.6% on governance and security and 14.6% on wealth creation. The remainder of this budget was spent on other areas including support to women and girls, education, and humanitarian funding.

Argentina

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government plan to give to Argentina during the current Parliament.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not provide aid to Argentina—the FCO provides a small amount of overseas development assistance to support British Council and Chevening Scholarship programme activity. The FCO spent £1.95 million in this way in 2012. There are no plans to increase ODA funding allocated to Argentina during the lifetime of the current Parliament.

Argentina

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the UK has given to Argentina since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: The UK has reported that the following aid was provided to Argentina between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012. None of this expenditure was funded from DFID's budget:
	
		
			  £000 
			 2010 350 
			 2011 743 
			 2012 2,041

JUSTICE

Employment Tribunals Service

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications have been made to the Employment Tribunal in each month since July 2013; how many of those have included an application for fee remittance in each such month; how many fee remittance applications have been processed in each such month; and what proportion of those fee remittance applications have been processed within the 48-hour target turnover in each such month.

Shailesh Vara: The number of claims received by the Employment Tribunal is published by the Ministry of Justice Tribunal Statistics (quarterly) on the GOV.UK website at the address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics
	Data concerning outcomes of fee remission applications made, in employment tribunal cases and in other court and tribunal jurisdictions, are not routinely published. To obtain the information requested requires interrogation of the employment tribunals' fees and remission database, and quality assurance checks on that data to ensure they are accurate, reliable and in a form suitable for publication. I have asked my officials to undertake this work, and I will write to the hon. Lady as soon as I am able.
	There is no 48-hour turnaround target for processing fee remission applications. The Employment Tribunal aims to process fee remission applications in 10 days. The time taken processing the remission does not affect the limitation period for the claim.

Prisons: Ambulance Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on how many occasions ambulances have been called out to HM Prison Oakwood by (a) month and (b) nature of incident since the opening of that prison;
	(2)  on how many occasions ambulances were called out to each prison in England and Wales in each month of 2012.

Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	This information is not collected centrally by the Department or NHS England.
	In 2011, the Department and National Offender Management Service reissued guidance on emergency access for ambulance services to prisons, National Health Service commissioners and NHS ambulance trusts. This states that
	“the most important aspect of emergency care for prisoners is that an ambulance is called in all cases where there are grave concerns about the immediate health of a prisoner”.
	A copy of this guidance has been placed in the Library.

Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to improve conditions at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre since the last unannounced inspection by HM chief inspector of prisons in October 2013.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	We welcome the report by HM chief inspector of prisons following their last unannounced inspection of Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. In line with protocol, a service improvement plan has been drawn up responding to the recommendations made in the report, a copy of which will be sent to HM chief inspector of prisons. We will be working closely with the service provider to implement accepted recommendations to help improve the experience of detainees.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland Government

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on a plan for the implementation, legislation and provision of funding for measures dealing with the legacy of the past that arise from the Haass negotiations.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Lady to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr Campbell) on 15 January 2014, Official Report, column 841, and the hon. Members for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex) and for Belfast South (Dr McDonnell) on 15 January 2014, Official Report, column 842.

PRIME MINISTER

Annuities

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Prime Minister if he will transfer responsibility for policy relating to annuities from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

David Cameron: There are no plans for any changes in responsibility. HM Treasury works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions on matters relating to this area of policy.

Chiefs of Staff

David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the dates of all meetings between him and the Chief of Defence Staff between 11 May 2010 and 31 May 2011.

David Cameron: I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, including the Chief of the Defence Staff.

TRANSPORT

A303

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish the draft scope for the A303 feasibility study for consultation with stakeholders.

Robert Goodwill: The Department has committed to undertaking six feasibility studies as part of the process of identifying and funding solutions to tackle some of the most notorious and long-standing road hot spots in the country. The studies include work on the problems on the A303/A30/A358 corridor.
	As part of that process we committed to engage with stakeholders to develop and agree the detailed scope of the study. On 15 January I wrote to my hon. Friends whose constituencies lie within the proposed geographic scope of the study, to set out a brief synopsis of our proposals for the study. The Department has put in place arrangements to discuss details of the proposed scope of the study work with relevant stakeholders during January and February.
	I will provide the hon. Lady with copies of the documentation sent to my hon. Friends.

Driving Tests

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was of legal advice on the legal challenge by Pearson Driving Assessments to the award of the theory test contract.

Stephen Hammond: As set out in the answer from the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Goodwill), of 9 December 2013, Official Report, column 81W, the decision to award a framework agreement for the supply of computer-based testing for Government was subject to a formal challenge by Pearson Driving Assessments; the total cost of legal advice was £880,561.72, including VAT, as at 16 January 2014.

Driving: Licensing

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the prevalence of copycat websites for the application for and renewal of driving licences; and what steps he is taking to inform the public about such websites.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is aware of several websites not connected to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) or the official Government website that are offering services to customers who are applying for driving licences.
	The DVLA has published advice on GOV.UK to remind motorists that GOV.UK is the first stop for motoring services and that other websites may charge additional fees. The DVLA also directs motorists to GOV.UK in all its leaflets, forms and in news stories and its social media channels.
	The Office of Fair Trading has ruled that websites which charge additional fees are not acting illegally. The Government, led by Cabinet Office Government Digital Service, will continue to investigate reports of organisations which may be actively misleading users about their services or acting illegally, taking swift action when necessary.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the findings of KPMG on its report on the regional economic impacts of High Speed 2, what steps he is taking to ameliorate any negative impact of investment in High Speed 2 on the south-west region.

Robert Goodwill: The KPMG report on HS2 Regional Economic Impacts considers only the impacts from HS2 and does not reflect the impacts of other transport investment. The Government recognise the importance of investment in all forms of transport and have provided for significant capital spending on our transport networks, with total funding of £73 billion over the period from 2015 to 2021. For example, the electrification of Great Western railway and the introduction of new IEP rolling stock will bring benefits to the south-west region.

M6

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 390W, on M6, what the location was and details were of each of the road traffic collisions in 2013; and what the location and duration of the ensuing road closure was in each case.

Robert Goodwill: Following are details of the 25 road traffic collisions on the M6 in the Cumbria and Lancashire areas in 2013. Provided are the date and time of the incident, the location, the total impact duration and also if the incident recorded a total or whole closure.
	Note:
	The total impact duration is the time where the capacity, of one or more running lanes, has been reduced and not just the time that all lanes were closed.
	The location description provides the reference of the marker post, the motorway junction, the motorway name, the maintenance area and the geographical area.
	
		
			 Incident start date/time Incident location Total incident impact duration (minutes) Total closure (both carriageways) or whole closure (one carriageway) 
			 01/01/2013 22:28 J40M6Area 13 Cumbria 87 Whole closure 
			 04/02/2013 19:16 P343/3A J28/29 M6 Area 10 Lancashire 312 Whole closure 
			 16/02/2013 18:26 P348/2B J31/30 M6 Area 13 Lancashire 68 Whole closure 
			 18/02/2013 17:09 P474/4A J41/42 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 266 Whole closure 
			 25/02/2013 08:17 P404/0A J35/36 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 1,412 Whole closure 
			 06/04/2013 13:40 P350/1A J31 ASIDE M6 Area 13 Lancashire 79 Whole closure 
			 12/04/2013 16:11 P491/7A J43/44 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 94 Whole closure 
			 22/04/2013 09:13 P371/2B J33/32 M6 Area 13 Lancashire 259 Whole closure 
			 13/05/2013 14:36 P363/9B J33/32 M6 Area 13 Lancashire 65 Total closure 
			 18/07/2013 22:02 P466/8B J42/41 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 282 Whole closure 
			 24/07/2013 13:17 J40 M6/A66 Area 13 Cumbria 10 Total closure 
			 20/09/2013 01:51 P432/8BJ39/38 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 921 Whole closure 
			 24/09/2013 09:17 J40 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 355 Total closure 
			 30/09/2013 09:51 P345/3A J29/30 M6 Area 10 Lancashire 20 Whole closure 
			 14/10/2013 12:33 P485/8A J42/43 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 80 Whole closure 
			 18/10/2013 17:38 P347/5A J30/31 M6Area 13 Lancashire 18 Whole closure 
			 18/10/2013 23:12 P473/9B J42/41 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 1,015 Whole closure 
			 24/10/201310:50 P340/0B J28/27 M6 Area 10 Lancashire 131 Whole closure 
			 31/10/2013 14:27 P494/2A J43/44 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 325 Whole closure 
			 10/11/2013 21:20 P335/0A J27/28 M6 Area 10 Lancashire 732 Total closure 
			 22/11/2013 15:44 J36M6 Area 13 Cumbria 322 Total closure 
			 29/11/2013 16:02 P395/7A J35/36 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 210 Whole closure 
			 12/12/2013 17:25 P351/8B J31A/31 M6 Area 13 Lancashire 5 Whole closure 
			 18/12/2013 20:41 P428/1B J38/37 M6 Area 13 Cumbria 787 Whole closure 
			 27/12/2013 12:58 J40M6 Area 13 Cumbria 174 Total closure 
			 1 This incident occurred off the M6 at the junction of the M6 and A66. The closure relates to the A66 and not the M6. Note: Total duration 8,016 minutes (133 hours 36 minutes).

Motor Vehicles

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage registration with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of foreign-registered vehicles which are in the UK beyond a six-month period.

Stephen Hammond: Information about the requirement to register and license a foreign-registered vehicle after the six-month period has expired is available on GOV.UK and in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's information leaflets.
	Where the DVLA receives information about foreign registered vehicles the DVLA will contact the keeper where possible to advise them of UK tax and registration rules. The DVLA is exploring the possibility of providing information on these vehicles to the police for use with their Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. Officials are also discussing with four police forces the potential for using intelligence information as part of a pilot scheme to carry out enforcement against vehicles that stay longer than the six-month exemption period.

Railways: Electrification

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits and disadvantages of electrifying the rail line between Newbury and Penzance.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has made no such analysis. Following the Government's major investment in rail electrification as part of the Rail Investment Strategy (RIS) for 2014-19, Network Rail is working with train operators and other stakeholders to identify the best candidate schemes for future investment, as part of its industry electrification strategy in advance of decisions on the following five-year Network Rail Control Period.

Roads: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his Department's guidance to local authorities on shared space.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport's guidance on the design and provision of shared space schemes, Local Transport Note 1/11: ‘Shared Space’, was published in October 2011, and there are no current plans for it to be revised.

TREASURY

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many penalty notices issued with regard to late submission of a corporation tax return were waived in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013 inclusive; what the total monetary amount waived was in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC does not ‘waive' penalties. Every penalty imposed is either paid, pursued for payment, discharged on successful appeal, or remitted as an uncollectible debt—typically where a company has become insolvent or been struck off the Companies House Register.
	Amounts remitted can be reinstated if new considerations come to light.

Food and Drink Federation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings representatives of the Food and Drink Federation attended with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 2010.

David Gauke: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 157W, on Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), what proportion of notifications of breaches of minimum wage received by the National Minimum Wage Inspectorate from the GLA (a) were investigated and (b) resulted in compensation payments in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

David Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforces the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW. The value of penalties charged has increased by 41% between 2012-13 and 2009-10.
	The information requested is not available.

Revenue and Customs: Cheltenham

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the Cheltenham Tax Enquiry Office is being closed; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: No decision has been made regarding the closure of the Cheltenham office. The future of HM Revenue and Custom's inquiry centres has yet to be decided.
	HMRC is evaluating all of the information gathered from the pilot together with the feedback from the public consultation and plans to announce its decision on the way forward in February 2014.

Tax Yields

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the value of the total tax receipts from (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland excluding any revenue from the North sea in each year since 1990;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the value of North sea revenues in each year since 1990 from (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland according to (i) population split and (ii) a geographical split of that revenue.

David Gauke: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes total UK tax receipts in its annual Blue Book. Table 1 shows total UK tax receipts from 1990 to 2012, and includes taxes paid to both central and local government. This information is also available on the ONS website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa1-rd/united-kingdom-national-accounts/index.html
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for collecting the vast majority of tax receipts. HMRC publishes the total tax receipts it collects, including those from the North sea, on its website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/receipts.htm
	HMRC has also published (October 2013) a set of statistics presenting the disaggregation of tax receipts between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These are also available on the same website, and include the allocation of North sea receipts (those from corporation tax and petroleum revenue tax) according to a geographical and population split.
	The sub-national statistics are a first publication, so should be treated with some caution. Sub-national data are not available for earlier years.

Taxation: Self-assessment

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the prevalence of copycat websites for tax returns; and what steps he is taking to inform the public about such websites.

David Gauke: HMRC takes the security of customer data very seriously. The Department is aware of ‘phishing' attacks that invite customers to submit their personal and financial information via websites purporting to be HMRC and, once reported, HMRC works with the hosting providers to remove such sites. HMRC also employs an industry-leading anti-phishing service, which proactively searches for fraudulent, HMRC-branded, websites and removes them. The dovetailing of these two approaches to phishing websites has enabled HMRC to remove well in excess of 1,000 fraudulent sites.
	In addition to phishing sites there are a number of websites which offer services such as the submission of a tax return on behalf of an individual for a fee. Often HMRC software will enable a customer to undertake the action themselves free of charge.
	HMRC takes action to review reported websites offering services to customers to ensure that there is no infringement on brand and disclaimers are placed within the website to identify that there is no affiliation to HMRC. While such websites are not operating illegally, information within HMRC’s online security pages at:
	https://www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/advice.htm
	provides advice to our customers to be vigilant of such websites.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment and Support Allowance: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 758W, on jobseeker's allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber and 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 756W, on employment and support allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber 
	(1)  how many people receiving employment and support allowance in York Central constituency were moved (a) from the support group to the work-related group and (b) from the work-related group to the support group in each month since October 2012;
	(2)  how many people living in York Central constituency receiving employment and support allowance were moved from the support group to the work-related group; how many of those people sought a review of that decision; and how many of those seeking a review were (a) moved back to the support group as a consequence of the review, (b) not moved back to the support group as a consequence of the review and (c) still awaiting the decision on their request for review in each month since October 2013.

Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave him on 9 January 2014, Official Report, columns 280-81W.

Fracking

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions the Health and Safety Executive has had with Government Departments about the health and safety implications of fracking; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a member of the cross-Government Shale Gas Strategy Group established by DECC's Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO). This ensures that the regulatory regime for shale gas operations is robust and coordinated.
	HSE also has regular discussions with the Environment Agency (EA), which includes the operation of the Memorandum of Understanding between HSE and EA to ensure that shale gas operators are managing and controlling health, safety, and environmental risks. There are arrangements for joint inspections with EA during the exploratory phase of shale gas development.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of tenants affected by the under-occupancy penalty who have taken in a lodger.

Esther McVey: This information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets he has set for moving applications for jobseeker's allowance online; and whether these targets are variable by region.

Esther McVey: DWP introduced a target of 80% take-up by September 2013 as part of its Structural and Efficiency Reform Plan. This target was achieved ahead of deadline and take-up of the JSA Online service has been consistently above 80% since August 2013. There are no plans to apply regional variations to the 80% target.

Jobseeker's Allowance: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 758W, on jobseeker's allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber and 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 756W, on employment and support allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber, how many people receiving jobseeker's allowance (JSA) in York Central constituency had JSA withdrawn as a result of their failure to comply with conditions laid down by his Department in each month since October 2012.

Esther McVey: The information is tabled as follows:
	
		
			 Number of individuals with an adverse jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanction decision in York Central parliamentary constituency: 22 October 2012 to 30 June 2013 
			  Constituency: York Central 
			 October 2012 50 
			 November 2012 140 
			 December 2012 70 
			 January 2013 150 
			 February 2013 120 
			 March 2013 100 
			 April 2013 100 
			 May 2013 120 
			 June 2013 110 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data are to 30 June 2013, which is the latest available information. 3. Figures may include individuals who have had more than one adverse sanction decision e.g. if an individual has a sanction applied in two different months, they will appear in each month above. 4. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA from 22 October 2012. The number of sanctions applied is the number of low, intermediate, and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules Source: DWP: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics database.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials at each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of those officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used in his Department to assess procurement officer's performance are.

Michael Penning: The DWP Commercial Director leads a delegated procurement authority (DPA) policy whereby 611 staff across the Department have one of five DPA levels:
	DPA Level 1-awarded to non-specialist staff giving authority to purchase low-value, low-risk goods or services from previously established commercial arrangements, such as frameworks for office supplies.
	DPA Level 2-awarded to non-specialist staff in purchasing teams giving authority to enter into low-risk contracts below £10,000 for specified ranges of goods and services.
	DPA Level 3 to 5-awarded to procurement specialists in designated procurement posts based on an individual's skills, experience and qualifications. DPA Level 3 allows purchasing up to the EU threshold; DWP Level 4 to above the EU threshold up to £5 million; and DPA level 5 above £5 million.
	DPA is not awarded on the basis of grade and the information requested about the numbers at each grade could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The key indicators used in the Department to assess the performance of staff engaged in procurement are based on the Civil Service Competency Framework, focusing on:
	Achieving commercial outcomes
	Delivering value for money
	Managing a quality service
	Changing and improving
	Leading and communicating
	Collaborating and partnering
	Delivering at pace.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has plans to close the gap in benefits created by the suspension of employment and support allowance to clients subject to an adverse mandatory reconsideration, pending resolution of their tribunal hearing; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: There are no current plans for making changes to the arrangements for the payment of benefits during mandatory reconsideration. Claimants may be able to claim other benefits during the mandatory reconsideration period, such as jobseeker's allowance.

Social Security Benefits: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 758W, on jobseeker's allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber and 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 756W, on employment and support allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber, how many people living in York Central constituency were receiving (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance—support group and (c) employment and support allowance—work-related group in each month since October 2012.

Esther McVey: The information available is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Jobseeker’s allowance claimants in York Central parliamentary constituency: Time series 
			  Number 
			 2012  
			 October 2,265 
			 November 2,200 
			 December 2,125 
			   
			 2013  
			 January 2,230 
			 February 2,265 
			 March 2,235 
			 April 2,160 
			 May 2,045 
			 June 1,885 
			 July 1,825 
		
	
	
		
			 August 1,785 
			 September 1,675 
			 October 1,580 
			 November 1,555 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest five. Source: ONS Claimant Count 
		
	
	
		
			 All employment support allowance claimants and those in the support group and the work-related activity group, in York Central parliamentary constituency: Time series 
			  Support group Work-related activity group 
			 2012   
			 November 740 550 
			    
			 2013   
			 February 910 620 
			 May 1,140 660 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Phase of ESA claim—the phase is derived from payment details held on the source system. Where the claimant is not in receipt of any benefit payment, the stage of benefit is shown as unknown. 3. ESA data are available quarterly each year, as at February, May, August and November. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate. 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	Monthly statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants and quarterly statistics on employment and support allowance claimants are published and can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider was, (b) purpose of the course was and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Esther McVey: Civil Service Learning no longer has any responsibility for ministerial training. This has been passed to the Institute for Government.
	Based on this Department's own records I can confirm that none of its Ministers have undertaken any recent training.

Universal Credit

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 455W, on universal credit, when he expects that the 50 required IT specialists will be (a) recruited and (b) in post.

Esther McVey: The necessary recruitment is underway, and we will bring specialists on board on a carefully controlled trajectory as they are needed.